Thru-hiking the AT

[hikingshoes]

Could two ppl hike the trail on 8000? We don't drink other than a glass or two with my meal.

[VTATHiker]

Sure. One person with $4,000 can do it if they're smart with their money and don't spend a lot of time in towns. For various reasons two people hiking together could potentially spend less than two people hiking individually (share hotel costs for example), so $8,000 can be plenty.

[Ricky&Jack]

1 night in a hostel/motel/ hotel is approx $25-75 per night.

So for very night you DONT spent in one of those, you can buy food for a week and and sleep in a tent.

so avoid the hostel/motel/hotel as much as possible, and it would not be a problem at all. Thats a big money consumer.

[bigcranky]

Can it be done? Sure. Can you do it? We can't answer that question.

Food prices for two are just double food prices for one. A hostel stay might cost $20, so two people would be $40, which is still pretty cheap, but when I hike with my wife we often want a motel room, which is more expensive. Sometimes much more expensive. But it's private and we're not sharing the shower, etc. If you're romantic partners (eg., married), you can share some gear like a tent, water treatment, kitchen gear. That saves a few bucks on gear.

I think with $8000 you can have a nice 2-person hike, but you'll need to be careful about how you spend your money. Not "watch every penny" careful, more like "nah, we don't need yet another zero day in town" careful. We like to do "neros" - "near zeros" - where we get to town around lunch, find a motel, get a shower and put on some not-so-dirty clothing, then go run all our errands like food shopping, laundry, etc. Then get a nice dinner out somewhere and a good night's sleep. Then we can hang out the next morning for a long time, lingering over a nice breakfast and maybe even lunch, before heading out to get a few miles hiked. In summer, when it's hot, we might leave town after dinner. That way we get most of the benefits of a full zero day but save by not having the second night in the motel, or the extra town meals.

[ChinMusic]

$8000 for two is very reasonable.

[Ricky&Jack]

if i reemmber, $4,000 is the recommended minnimum to take for 1 person.

But $8,000 for 2 people should be better. Since you can share a room etc.

[Spirit Walker]

Start a little later (April 5 - 15) so that weather is less of a factor and start out in good shape. Don't stop at every hostel you pass. Save it for once a week or so. The more time you spend on the trail the more expensive the hike. A five month hike costs a lot less than a seven month hike. Assuming no emergencies and no gear failures, $8000 will see you through easily.

[garlic08]

My 2008 solo hike cost me $3500 including replacing gear and transportation to/from. But if I'd hiked with my wife, it probably would have cost more than twice that. A few years earlier we hiked the PCT together and spent more than $10,000. It just seemed right to get more and nicer motel rooms and get better meals, etc. We even celebrated a wedding anniversary on the trail. There's a very wide range of budgets out there.

[RED-DOG]

YES it's a little cheaper for two cause you can share all the expenses that a SOLO hiker has to endure himself.

[MDSection12]

I've seen tons of 'how much' threads and from what I've read $8,000 should be very reasonable.

[RED-DOG]

if i reemmber, $4,000 is the recommended minnimum to take for 1 person.

But $8,000 for 2 people should be better. Since you can share a room etc.

If you are SOLO Hiking i would recommend $5000 To $6000 especially if you are going to be hiking with a dog, On my 2012 thru i spent $5700 out of a budget of $7000.

[magneto]

This is one of the most appealing aspects of an AT thru hike: you can taylor it to any taste or budget. If you want a rustic experience, spend less time in towns and camp away from others when possible or you can try to slack pack the whole thing...


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[hikingshoes]

Start a little later (April 5 - 15) so that weather is less of a factor and start out in good shape. Don't stop at every hostel you pass. Save it for once a week or so. The more time you spend on the trail the more expensive the hike. A five month hike costs a lot less than a seven month hike. Assuming no emergencies and no gear failures, $8000 will see you through easily.

End march or first of April is the plan more like April . My friend EL Flaco has help me out a lot with this. He's had good luck with the weather in April.

[hikingshoes]

Thanks for all the comments and help.